One way check valve

ABSTRACT

A one way check valve in which the valve cage is formed from a single piece of elastic material and a relatively rigid ball valve is installed in the valve cage by distorting the cage and forcing the ball through the inlet opening into the cage. The outlet of the valve is divided into a series of outlet passages by intersecting, tapered web members which positively prevent the loss of the ball valve from the interior of the valve cage and at the same time maintain the ball valve centrally of the valve body for rapid seating of the ball under reverse flow conditions.

United States Patent [191 Gifford ONE WAY CHECK VALVE Inventor: RobertT.Gifford, Yellow Springs,

Ohio

[ Nov. 13, 1973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,416,352 9/1965 Francel37/533.ll 1,301,426 7/1962 France l37/519.5

Primary Examiner-Robert G. Nilson Attorney-Lawrence B. Biebel et a1.

[ ABSTRACT A one way check valve in which the valve cage is formed froma single piece of elastic material and a relatively rigid ball valve isinstalled in the valve cage by distorting the cage and forcing the ballthrough the inlet opening into the cage. The outlet of the valve isdivided into a series of outlet passages by intersecting, tapered webmembers which positively prevent the loss of the ball valve from theinterior of the valve cage and at the same time maintain the ball valvecentrally of the valve body for rapid seating of the ball under reverseflow conditions.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures ONE WAY CHECK VALVE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION In the operation of relatively high speed engines, such asdiesel engines, it is desirable to provide a supply of cooling oil tothe piston dome. One manner in which this may be is done to provide anoil flow passage through the center of the piston connecting rod so thatlubricating oil may be drawn upwardly through the passageway in the rodto the piston dome.

This upward flow of cooling oil is enhanced by the use of a one waycheck valve adjacent the entrance to the flow passage. Preferably, avalve so used will be of relatively simple construction to reducemanufacturing costs. Additionally, the valve must be relatively rugged,since it must act rapidly under severe operating conditons.

For example, normal engine speeds may be 2,100 rpm and greater,resulting in negative and positive vertical acceleration in excess ofI14,000 in/sec and 127,000 in/sec, respectively, and a lateralacceleration in excess of 93,000 in/sec Additionally, it will beapparent that the life of the valve must be relatively great despiteoperating temperatures which may vary between -50F and +232F.

While one piece check valves have been the subject of previous designefforts, as indicated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,855,127 and 3,096,825, valvesof the type disclosed in the above noted patents are obviously notintended for use under the severe operating conditions described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a simplifiedvalve assembly of rugged construction consisting of a one piece valvecage formed of a relatively elastic material and a rigid ball valvereceivable in an axially extending flow port through the valve cage. Theoutlet from the flow port is divided into a plurality of outlet passagesby inwardly projecting, tapered webs, which positively prevent thedislodg ment of the ball valve from the interior of the valve cage andat the same time serve to maintain the ball valve properly positionedwith respect to the valve seat.

The inlet to the interior of the valve cage is substantially smallerthan the diameter of the ball valve and the elastic nature of the valvecage allows the cage to be distorted so that the ball valve can beforced into the interior of the valve through the inlet. Thus, the valveassembly of the present invention can be readily mass produced byforming the valve cage from a single piece of material and theninstalling the ball valve within the cage by distorting the cage toallow the ball to be forced through the inlet of the cage into theinterior thereof. At the same time, the valve assembly of the presentinvention provides the rugged construction needed under operatingconditions of the type described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partlyin section, showing the valve assembly of the present invention in atypical environment;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a second perspective view of the valve assembly;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the valve assembly;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is anotherend view taken from the opposite direction to thatshown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a view taken on line 88 of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in FIG. 1 of thedrawings, the valve assembly of the present invention may find use in aconnecting rod of a diesel engine or the like.-. Thus, a connecting rod10 will be provided with a passageway 14 extending longitudinallythereof from adjacent its lower end 16 to its connection at its upperend (not shown) to a conventional piston. The lower end of theconnecting rod 10 is provided with a sleeve 18 having an opening 20therethrough communicating with a groove 22 formed in an upper portionof the collar 24 with the groove communicating with the lower end of thepassageway 14. The lower end of the passageway 14 is enlarged, as shownin FIGS. 1 and 2, and receives the valve assembly 26 of the presentinvention.

Valve assembly 26 includes a one piece valve cage 28 formed of anelastic material, preferably having a durometer rating on the Shore Ascale of approximately 50-90. A flow port 30 extends longitudinally ofthe valve cage and communicates with an inlet 32 adjacent one end of thevalve cage. A plurality of ribs 34, three being shown, extend across theopposite end of the valve cage and divide it into a plurality of outletpassages 36.

A ball valve 38, formed of a relatively rigid material, such as nylon,is received in the flow port 30 and has a diameter in relationshipthereto such that it is freely movable within the flow port. Thediameter of the ball valve 38, however, is substantially greater thanboth the dimensions of the outlet passages 36 and the diameter of theinlet 32. It will alsobe noted, particularly from FIG. 6 of thedrawings, that the ball valve 38 has a substantially greater diameterthan the length of the flow port 30, the diameter of ball 38 being shownas having a diameter greater than twice the length of the flow port 30.

Adjacent the inlet 32 the valve cage is provided with a pair of spacedlegs 40 which extend outwardly thereof and define a groove 42 which, inthe installation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, is aligned withthe groove 22. Where the spaced legs 40 are provided they may berelieved slightly, as at 44, to assist in installing the ball valve 38within the cage.

Thus, as seen in FIG. 8 of the drawings, the ball valve, shown in dottedlines, is received between the legs 40 and positioned with respect tothe inlet 32 by means of the relieved portions 44. Thereafter, a forceapplied to the ball valve 38 in the direction indicated by the arrowwill cause the valve cage to distort so that the ball valve may passthrough the inlet 32 into the flow port 30.

In this regard, the diameter of the ball valve is preferably no greaterthan 3.5 times the diameter of the inlet 32 to permit the valve cage todeform without tearing the material of which the cage is formed.

It will be particularly noted from the FIGS. 6 and 8 of the drawingsthat the surfaces of the web members 34 facing the flow port 30 aresubstantiallyvflat. Additionally, the web members taper in depthinwardly of the valve cage to a smallest dimension adjacent theirintersection with each other substantially centrally of the valve cageto define an included angle between their inner surfaces ofapproximately 90. By this construction the ball is prevented frombecoming wedged in the cage under the forces acting thereon and onlycontact between the ball valve and the surfaces of the web members isobtained.

By the same token, the tapered construction of the web members maintainsthe ball valve substantially centered within the valve cage, therebyfacilitating the rapid seating of the ball valve during the high speedoperating conditions described above. In this regard it will also benoted that the intersection of the inlet 32 and the flow port 30 definean annular shoulder 46 which, as shown, is oriented at approximately 30to the longitudinal axis of the valve assembly.

From the above it will be apparent that the present invention provides avalve assembly which is readily manufactured and yet is rugged enough tofunction under extreme operating conditions.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a valve assembly including an elastic, one-piece valve cage, meansdefining a flow port therethrough, a relatively rigid ball received insaid valve cage and means defining an inlet to said flow port adjacentone end thereof of smaller diameter than the diameter of said ball, theimprovement comprising:

a. said flow port having a length less than the diameter of said ball,

b. said flow port having a diameter only slightly greater than thediameter of said ball to permit only limited movement of said'balllaterally of said flow port,

c. a plurality of ribs formed integrally with said valve cage andradially disposed with respect to said valve cage adjacent an end ofsaid flow port opposite said inlet,

. each of said ribs tapering in depth longitudinally of said valve cageand away from said flow port and being joined to each other at theirsmallest dimension adjacent the center of said valve cage,

e. said ribs defining with portions of said valve cage with which theyare integrally formed a plurality of outlet passages of substantiallysmaller area than the diameter of said ball to prevent accidentaldisplacement of said ball from said valve cage through said outletpassages when said valve cage is subjected to severe accelerationforces,

f. said ribs having inwardly facing surfaces sloping inwardly of saidvalve cage and away from said flow port, portions of which surfaces arepositioned about the periphery of said ball when said ball is seated insaid inlet and other portions of which engage said ball when said ballis displaced from said inlet, and

said tapered construction of said ribs, said sloping surfaces thereofand said length of said flow port permitting limited movement of saidball from said seat while maintaining said ball substantially centeredwith respect to said flow port and in closely spaced relationship tosaid seat for rapid seating thereon.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. said sloping surfaces of said ribs are substantially flat.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein:

a. the included angle defined by said sloping surfaces of said ribs isapproximately 4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. said valve cage has a durometer Shore A value within the range of50-90.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. the diameter of said ball is no greater than 3.5

times than the diameter of said inlet.

6. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a. a pair of spaced legs extending from said valve cage adjacent saidinlet and defining therebtween a groove extending across said inlet.

7. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising:

a. means defining relieved portions on opposed inner surfaces of saidspaced legs substantially concentric with said flow port to assist ininstalling said ball within said cage.

8. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a. an annular shoulder sloping inwardly of said valve cage at said inletand away from said flow port.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein:

a. said annular shoulder slopes at an angle of approximately 30 to thelongitudinal axis of said valve cage.

10. In a valve assembly including an elastic, onepiece valve cage, meansdefining a flow port through said valve cage, a relatively rigid ballreceived in said valve cage and an inlet adjacent one end thereof havinga diameter less than the diameter of said ball, the improvementcomprising:

a. said valve cage having a durometer Shore A value within the range of50-90,

b. said ball having a diameter no greater than 3.5

times the diameter of said inlet,

c. the intersection of said inlet and said flow port defining a slopedannular shoulder extending inwardly of said valve cage away from saidflow port and providing a sloped valve seat extending at approximately30 to the axis of said valve cage,

d. said flow port having a length substantially less than one-half thediameter of said ball and a diameter slightly greater than the diameterof said ball,

e. a plurality of ribs formed integrally with said valve cage andradially disposed with respect to said flow port adjacent an end thereofopposite said inlet,

f. each of said ribs tapering in depth longitudinally of said valve cageand away from said flow port adjacent the center of said valve cage toprovide a plurality of outlet passages of substantially smaller areathan the diameter of said ball to prevent accidental displacement ofsaid ball from said valve cage through said outlet passages when saidvalve cage is subjected to severe acceleration forces,

g. said tapered construction of said ribs providing flat, slopingsurfaces sloping inwardly of said valve cage and away from said flowport at an included angle of approximately 90 and permitting limitedmovement of said ball from said seat while maintaining said ballsubstantially centered with respect to said flow port and in closelyspaced relationship to said seat for rapid seating thereon,

and

j. the elasticity of said valve cage and the diameter of said ball andsaid inlet being such that said ball can be forced through said inletinto said flow port by nondestructive deformation of said valve cageadjacent said inlet.

1. In a valve assembly including an elastic, one-piece valve cage, meansdefining a flow port therethrough, a relatively rigid ball received insaid valve cage and means defining an inlet to said flow port adjacentone end thereof of smaller diameter than the diameter of said ball, theimprovement comprising: a. said flow port having a length less than thediameter of said ball, b. said flow port having a diameter only slightlygreater than the diameter of said ball to permit only limited movementof said ball laterally of said flow port, c. a plurality of ribs formedintegrally with said valve cage and radially disposed with respect tosaid valve cage adjacent an end of said flow port opposite said inlet,d. each of said ribs tapering in depth longitudinally of said valve cageand away from said flow port and being joined to each other at theirsmallest dimension adjacent the center of said valve cage, e. said ribsdefining with portions of said valve cage with which they are integrallyformed a plurality of outlet passages of substantially smaller area thanthe diameter of said ball to prevent accidental displacement of saidball from said valve cage through said outlet passages when said valvecage is subjected to severe acceleration forces, f. said ribs havinginwardly facing surfaces sloping inwardly of said valve cage and awayfrom said flow port, portions of which surfaces are positioned about theperiphery of said ball when said ball is seated in said inlet and otherportions of which engage said ball when said ball is displaced from saidinlet, and g. said tapered construction of said ribs, said slopingsurfaces thereof and said length of said flow port permitting limitedmovement of said ball from said seat while maintaining said ballsubstantially centered with respect to said flow port and in closelyspaced relationship to said seat for rapid seating thereon.
 2. Theassembly of claim 1 wherein: a. said sloping surfaces of said ribs aresubstantially flat.
 3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein: a. the includedangle defined by said sloping surfaces of said ribs is approximately90*.
 4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein: a. said valve cage has adurometer Shore A value within the range of 50-90.
 5. The assembly ofclaim 1 wherein: a. the diameter of said ball is no greater than 3.5times than the diameter of said inlet.
 6. The assembly of claim 1further comprising: a. a pair of spaced legs extending from said valvecage adjacent said inlet and defining therebtween a groove extendingacross said inlet.
 7. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising: a.means defining relieved portions on opposed inner surfaces of saidspaced legs substantially concentric with said flow port to assist ininstalling said ball within said cage.
 8. The assembly of claim 1further comprising: a. an annulaR shoulder sloping inwardly of saidvalve cage at said inlet and away from said flow port.
 9. The assemblyof claim 8 wherein: a. said annular shoulder slopes at an angle ofapproximately 30* to the longitudinal axis of said valve cage.
 10. In avalve assembly including an elastic, one-piece valve cage, meansdefining a flow port through said valve cage, a relatively rigid ballreceived in said valve cage and an inlet adjacent one end thereof havinga diameter less than the diameter of said ball, the improvementcomprising: a. said valve cage having a durometer Shore A value withinthe range of 50-90, b. said ball having a diameter no greater than 3.5times the diameter of said inlet, c. the intersection of said inlet andsaid flow port defining a sloped annular shoulder extending inwardly ofsaid valve cage away from said flow port and providing a sloped valveseat extending at approximately 30* to the axis of said valve cage, d.said flow port having a length substantially less than one-half thediameter of said ball and a diameter slightly greater than the diameterof said ball, e. a plurality of ribs formed integrally with said valvecage and radially disposed with respect to said flow port adjacent anend thereof opposite said inlet, f. each of said ribs tapering in depthlongitudinally of said valve cage and away from said flow port adjacentthe center of said valve cage to provide a plurality of outlet passagesof substantially smaller area than the diameter of said ball to preventaccidental displacement of said ball from said valve cage through saidoutlet passages when said valve cage is subjected to severe accelerationforces, g. said tapered construction of said ribs providing flat,sloping surfaces sloping inwardly of said valve cage and away from saidflow port at an included angle of approximately 90* and permittinglimited movement of said ball from said seat while maintaining said ballsubstantially centered with respect to said flow port and in closelyspaced relationship to said seat for rapid seating thereon, h. a pair oflegs extending from one end of said valve cage adjacent said inlet anddefining therebetween a groove substantially centrally positioned withrespect to said valve cage, i. means defining substantially circular,relieved portions on inner, facing surfaces of said spaced legssubstantially concentric with said flow port to align said ball withsaid inlet prior to assembly thereof, and j. the elasticity of saidvalve cage and the diameter of said ball and said inlet being such thatsaid ball can be forced through said inlet into said flow port bynondestructive deformation of said valve cage adjacent said inlet.